The fabrication and electrochemical properties of electrospun nanofibers of a multiwalled carbon nanotube grafted by chitosan

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were grafted by chitosan (CS); the product could disperse well in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aqueous solution with 2% (v/v) acetic acid solution. Because this product has potential in several biological fields, it was electrospun so as to enlarge the surface area. Raman spectra indicated that the electrospinning process did not severely alter the electron hybridization of carbon atoms within the nanotube framework. Moreover and interestingly, these nanofibers showed a novel sheath-core structure; the outer and inner diameters of these sheath-core nanofibers were about 200?nm and 100?nm, respectively. These nanofibers' electrochemical properties were characterized by detection of hydrogen peroxide and voltammetric responses of potassium ferricyanide. The electrospun fibers' web displayed faster electron transfer kinetics and better electrochemical properties than its cast film, which justified further applications in biological areas.     

Top-down process based on electrospinning, twisting, and heating for producing one-dimensional carbon nanotube assembly

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning, successive twisting and heat treatment. The MWNTs were highly oriented in an electrified thin jet during electrospinning. The heat treatment of the twisted electrospun nanofiber yarns produced the characteristics of the CNT in the composite nanofiber yarns and enhanced their electrical properties, mechanical properties, and thermal properties. The electrical conductivity of the heated yarn was significantly enhanced and showed the maximum value of 154 S cm(-1) for the yarn heated at 400 °C. It is an order of magnitude higher than other electrospun CNT composite materials. These results demonstrated that the novel top-down process based on electrospinning, twisting, and heat treatment provide a promising option for simple and large-scale manufacture of CNT assemblies.     

Titania nanofibers prepared by electrospinning

TiO₂ nanofibers with a diameter of 54-78 nm have been successfully prepared by electrospinning method using a solution that contained poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and Ti(IV)-isopropoxide. The effect of viscosity and applied electric field on the morphology of the electrospun titania fibers was investigated. It has been observed that the increase in electric field causes bead formation and discontinuity in nanofiber morphology.     

Synthesis of anatase-silver nanocomposite fibers via electrospinning

There has been growing interest in new ways to produce composite nanofibers. Continuous TiO2 (anatase phase) nanofibers with silver nanoparticles were prepared successfully via sol-gel and electrospinning. A sol containing poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), titanium tetraisopropoxide, and silver nitrate was injected through a conductive capillary where high voltage was applied. As a result of electrospinning, continuous composite nanofibers were collected and they were calcined in air at 500 degrees C in order to complete the crystallization of anatase phase. The anatase-silver nanocomposite fibers were characterized with X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.     

In-situ formation of Cu metal crystals within nanostructured ZnO electrospun fibers

The in-situ synthesis of Cu/ZnO crystalline nanofibers is presented. The composite nanofibers are formed through the calcination and reduction of as-electrospun fibers consisting of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) as well as Cu and ZnO precursors. The crystal structure and morphology of the synthesized fibers were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The presence of well crystallized Cu and ZnO phases within the fiber was verified using XRD spectra and HRTEM images. To the best of our knowledge, this analysis confirms the first successful in-situ synthesis of a metal nanocrystal and ceramic polycrystalline electrospun fiber hybrid.     

Influence of TiO2 nanofiber additives for high efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO2 nanofibers were prepared from a mixture of titanium-tetra-isopropoxide and poly vinyl pyrrolidone by applying the electrospinning method. The samples were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM and BET analyses. The diameter of electrospun TiO2 nanofibers is in the range of 70 approximately 160 nm. To improve the short-circuit photocurrent, we added the TiO2 nanofibers in the TiO2 electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). TiO2 nanofibers added in DSSCs can make up to 20% more conversion energy than the conventional DSSC with only TiO2 films only.     

Composite nanofibers produced by modified needleless electrospinning

A needleless electrospinning method was used to prepare poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers with a content of single walled (SWCNTs) and multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The needleless process of electrospinning from free surface of polymeric solution requires perfect solutions of polymers and additives (carbon nanotubes in the case). The solutions were prepared by sonication method and by usage of surface modified carbon nanotubes. The presence of carbon nanotubes inside the electrospun nanofibrous materials were proved by means of Raman spectroscopy. This process example can be modified for other polymer solutions to produce nanocomposite fibrous structures by electrospinning in mass scale.     

PVP nanofibers prepared using co-axial electrospinning with salt solution as sheath fluid

A modified co-axial electrospinning process using salt solutions as sheath fluids for preparing polymer nanofibers was investigated. A series of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers were prepared with NaCl aqueous solutions at varying concentrations as sheath fluids. The sheath fluid had a significant influence on the formation of the compound Taylor cone. Scanning electron microscopy results demonstrated that the diameters of PVP nanofibers could be manipulated through the concentration of NaCl solutions within an appropriate range. With 2 mg ml^− 1 NaCl solution as sheath fluid, the smallest PVP nanofibers, with a diameter of 120 ± 40 nm, were obtained. Co-axial electrospinning with salt solutions as sheath fluids is a facile method for achieving finer, homogeneous polymer nanofibers.     

Preparation and characterization of chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) electrospun fibers

Ultrafine fibers of chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (CS/PVA/PVP) were prepared via electrospinning. The structure and morphology of CS/PVA/PVP ultrafine fibers was characterized by the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Furthermore, the effects of the concentration of PVA, PVP and the electrospinning voltage on the morphology of ultrafine fibers were investigated the the SEM. When the concentration of PVA was at the range of 30wt%–40wt%, ultrafine fibers could be obtained. The diameter distributions of ultrafine fibers decreased when the electrospinning voltage increased from 20 to 30 kV. The rough surface fibers could be obtained after etching with CHCl₃.     

静电纺丝法制备MWNTs/聚胺醚复合纳米纤维

用静电纺丝法制备MWNTs/聚胺醚复合纳米纤维,将收集到的无纺布通过SEM观察其微观形貌,并用Image-Pro Plus 6.0软件测量纤维的直径;分别用TG和XRD测试了复合纤维的热性能和结晶行为。结果表明,MWNTs含量较多的纺丝溶液受到的电场力较大,比较容易得到纤维,且得到的纤维直径较细;MWNTs含量为1%时溶液的可纺浓度为30%～34%;TGA分析表明,随碳管含量增加复合纳米纤维的热稳定性提高;XRD分析表明,碳管较好地分散于聚胺醚中。     

Release of lysozyme from electrospun PVA/lysozyme-gelatin scaffolds

This article describes an electrospinning process in fabricating ultra fine fibers with core-shell structure. A biodegradable polymer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), was used as the shell; lysozyme was a kind of antioxidant; and gelatin were used as the core.Morphology and microstructure of the ultra fine fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. As a comparison, composite nanofiber PVA/lysozyme-gelatin blend was prepared by a normal electrospinning process. In vitro drug release behaviors of the nanofibrous membranes were determined in phosphatebuffered saline (PBS) solution. It was found that core-shell nanofibers PVA/lysozyme-gelatin obviously exhibit higher initial release rates compared to that of PVA/lysozymegelatin blend nanofibers. The current method may find wide application in controlled release of bioactive proteins and tissue engineering.     

Electrospinning carbon nanotube polymer composite nanofibers

The unique and exceptional physical properties of carbon nanotubes have inspired their use as a filler within a polymeric matrix to produce carbon nanotube polymer composites with enhanced mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. A powerful method of synthesising nanofibers comprising these polymer composites is electrospinning, which utilises an applied electric stress to draw out a thin nanometer-dimension fiber from the tip of a sharp conical meniscus. The focussing of the flow due to converging streamlines at the cone vertex then ensures alignment of the carbon nanotubes along the fiber axis, thus enabling the anisotropic properties of the nanotubes to be exploited. We consider the work that has been carried out to date on various aspects encompassing preprocessing, synthesis and characterisation of these electrospun polymer composite nanofibers as well as the governing mechanisms and associated properties of such fibers. Particular attention is also dedicated to the theoretical modelling of these fiber systems, in particular to the electrohydrodynamic modelling of electrospinning polymer jets.     

Electrical properties of polyaniline and multi-walled carbon nanotube hybrid fibers

We have fabricated for the first time one-dimensional multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) nanocomposite fibers with improved electrical properties using electrospinning. Polyaniline (PANi) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were used as a conducting and a nonconducting matrix, respectively, for hybrid nanofibers including MWNTs. The hybrid nanofibers fabricated by electrospinning had a length of several centimeters and a diameter ranging from approximately 100 nm to approximately 1 microm. Transmission electron microscopic analysis confirmed that the MWNTs were successfully oriented along the fiber axis without any severe aggregation during electrospinning. The hybrid nanofibers showed an enhanced electrical conductance with increasing MWNT content up to 0.5 wt%, and compared to PANi/PEO fibers, they also showed a stable linear ohmic behavior. These hybrid conducting nanofibers can be applied to chemical and biosensors that require a high sensitivity.     

Effects of three parameters on the diameter of electrospun poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers

The combined use of two techniques namely electrospray and spinning is made use in a highly versatile technique called electrospinning, which produces the diameter of polymer fibers range from nanometer to sub-micron. In this work, we have studied effects of adding LiCl on the morphology and diameter of electrospun poly(ethylene oxide), and we have also evaluated systematically the effect of three important solution parameters on the morphology of electrospun poly(ethylene oxide): molecular weight, solution viscosity and electrical conductivity. We find that molecular weight is strongly correlated with the formation of bead defects in the fibers, the smaller molecular weight, the more beads defect density. As a result, the fibers have beads-in-string structures. Electrical conductivity increases, then decreases as molecular weight increases. Solution viscosity has been found to most strongly affect fiber size, with fibers diameter increasing with increasing solution viscosity according to a power law relationship. In addition, we find evidence that solution viscosity and electrical conductivity affect the interesting morphology of the electrospun nanofibers, and result in doubling and forming membrances phenomena.     

Bicomponent AgCl/PVP nanofibre fabricated by electrospinning with gel-sol method

A new series of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and silver chloride nanoparticles (AgCl) composite fibres have been synthesized by electrospinning and gel-sol technology. We used sol-gel process to prepare AgCl nanoparticles in the PVP solution, and then the solutions were electrospun to obtain AgCl/PVP composite nanofibres. The final products were thoroughly characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which showed the formation of AgCl nanoparticles/PVP composite nanofibres.     

Deactivating chemical agents using enzyme-coated nanofibers formed by electrospinning

The coaxial electrospinning technique was investigated as a novel method to create stabilized, enzyme-containing fibers that have the potential to provide enhanced protection from chemical agents. Electrospinning is a versatile technique for the fabrication of polymer fibers with large length (cm to km): diameter (nm to μm) aspect ratios. The large surface to volume ratios, along with the biofriendly nature of this technique, enables the fabrication of fiber mats with high enzyme concentrations, which amplify the catalytic activity per unit volume of membrane. Blended composite (single-source) fibers incorporate enzyme throughout the fiber, which may limit substrate accessibility to the enzyme. In contrast, core/sheath fibers can be produced by coaxial electrospinning with very high enzyme loading (>80%) in the sheath without noticeable loss of enzymatic activity. Several core-sheath combinations have been explored with the toxin-mitigating enzyme DFPase in order to achieve fibers with optimum properties. The concentration of fluoride released, normalized for the amount of protein incorporated into the sheath, was used as a measure of the enzyme activity versus time. The coaxial core/sheath combination of PEO and DFPase produced the highest activity (~7.3 mM/mg).     

High performance polyimide composite films prepared by homogeneity reinforcement of electrospun nanofibers

Highly aligned polyimide (PI) and PI nanocomposite fibers containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were produced by electrospinning. Scanning electron microscopy showed the electrospun nanofibers were uniform and almost free of defects. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the CNTs were finely dispersed and highly oriented along the CNT/PI nanofiber axis at a relatively low concentration. The as-prepared well-aligned electrospun nanofibers were then directly used as homogeneity reinforcement to enhance the tensile strength and toughness of PI films. The neat PI nanofiber reinforced PI films showed good transparency, decreased bulk density and significantly improved mechanical properties. Compared with neat PI film prepared by solution casting, the tensile strength and elongation at break for the PI film reinforced with 2 wt.% CNT/PI nanofibers were remarkably increased by 138% and 104%, respectively. The significant increases in the overall mechanical properties of the nanofibers reinforced polyimide films can be ascribed to good compatibility between the electrospun nanofibers and the matrix as well as high nanofiber orientation in the matrix. Our study demonstrates a good example for fabricating high performance and high toughness polyimide nanocomposites by using this facile homogeneity self-reinforcement method.     

Fabrication of P3HT/PCBM solar cloth by electrospinning technique

Electrospinning of a conjugated polymer is not possible due to the absence of chain entanglement (it exists as a rigid rod conformation in a solution), which is a prerequisite for electrospinning. In the present study, fabrication of core-shell nanofibers has been done by co-electrospinning of two components such as poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) (a conducting polymer) or P3HT/PCBM as the core and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as the shell. The TEM observation and FTIR analysis confirmed the encapsulation of the P3HT within the PVP polymer. Continuous P3HT or P3HT/PCBM nanofibers have been obtained by subsequent washing of the shell polymer template in a post-treatment step. These nanofibers were tested for solar cloth applications.     

Simple fabrication of carbon/TiO2 composite nanotubes showing dual functions with adsorption and photocatalytic decomposition of Rhodamine B

Carbon/TiO2 composite nanotubes were fabricated via a very simple electrospinning process and their dual functionalities of adsorptivity and photocatalytic activity were evaluated using Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model organic pollutant. A poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aqueous solution was directly electrospun into a coagulation bath containing titanium (IV) tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) solution so that PVA-core/TiO2-shell composite nanofibers were formed through the in situ sol-gel reaction of TTIP. The carbon/TiO2 composite nanotubes were then fabricated by heat treatment of composite nanofibers under nitrogen atmosphere. By using several characterization methods, we confirmed that the resultant nanotubes consisted of anatase TiO2 nanocrystallites embedded in a carbonaceous matrix. The prepared nanotubes exhibited fast adsorption of RhB with high capacity compared with a commercial porous carbon, and they also showed the photocatalytic decomposition activity for the dye molecules under UV irradiation comparable to the degradation by P-25 and ST-01 (commercial TiO2). Finally, the carbon/TiO2 composite nanotubes exhibited several cycle performances of adsorption-photodegradation for RhB. This indicates that the composite nanotubes can adsorb and photodecompose organic pollutants repeatedly without additional activating processes.     

同轴共纺技术制备聚苯乙烯中空亚微米纤维

利用同轴静电纺丝技术制备出壳层为聚苯乙烯(PS),芯层为聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)的壳-芯结构复合纤维,通过除去芯层PVP,成功地制备出了PS中空亚微米纤维。并对其进行了TEM、SEM测试。结果表明,纺丝过程中内、外液流速比值K直接影响着复合泰勒锥的形成及复合纤维的微观形态,且复合纤维平均直径随K值的增大而减小。